


Kiss Me, I'm Irish

by TheWritingGiant



Category: Chicago PD (TV)
Genre: #upsteadstpattysday2021, F/M, St. Patrick's Day
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-17
Updated: 2021-03-17
Packaged: 2021-03-23 21:41:12
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,000
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30061932
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheWritingGiant/pseuds/TheWritingGiant
Summary: March 17th, it's one of the most well known days in the world. Parades, frivolity and entirely too much beer are what St. Patrick's Day is famous for. But for Hailey Upton, the day holds another meaning, one she isn't too keen to celebrate.
Relationships: Jay Halstead/Hailey Upton, Kevin Atwater & Kim Burgess & Jay Halstead & Adam Ruzek & Hailey Upton
Comments: 10
Kudos: 64





	Kiss Me, I'm Irish

**Author's Note:**

> Happy St. Patrick's Day, all! Hope you're having a good one. This is just a little story I've been plugging away at for a while. Hope you like it.

Jay had once said that Hailey was incredibly aloof about her personal life. He wasn't wrong, but over the years, she had gotten better about opening up to her team. However, one thing that always remained a secret was her birthday. No one knew, except for maybe Voight, but that was only because, as her Sergeant, the man would have access to her personnel file, which listed the date. March 17th, 1990. St. Patrick's Day. 

Of course, they all knew vaguely when it was; they were cops, and the process of elimination was pretty much a required skill set. Hailey never lied about her age, so they could narrow down the year with little problem. And somehow, they also managed to peg down the month. But that was it. Over the years, each of them had pressed her about it. They wanted to take her out to dinner or organize a small party at Molly's as they did for their own birthdays, but Hailey always brushed them off.

"I'm just not that big on birthdays," she told Adam when the man offered to cover her drinks on the day if she would just tell him when it was.

"I'm Greek," was her explanation to Kevin and Kim when the pair mentioned getting a group together to go see a Hawks game to try and mark the occasion. "Name Days are more important than birthdays."

"You know how I feel about being the centre of attention," she said to Jay with fond exasperation when her partner had pitched a karaoke night. That had been the one that finally seemed to persuade them to let it go. But they were her friends, her family, so they each found little ways to let her know they hadn't forgotten completely. 

Kim and Adam would each leave a card on her desk, tucked discreetly away under her keyboard or in a drawer. Kim's was always sweet, Adam's funny, just like them.

Kevin would start and end the month by bringing her an order of loukoumades from Artopolis. The best ones in town, she'd insisted. And the big man never let her leave on those days without a massive bear hug.

Then there was Jay. He would cover the tab for food or drinks whenever they went out for the entire month.

This year, however, was a little different. Adam, Kim and Kevin were all a bit more eager to celebrate. Between Hailey being shipped out to New York and the pandemic shutting things down just after she got home, they missed marking the occasion, her thirtieth, the year before. There was also the new change between her and Jay, they were a couple now, and he had been hinting since the middle of February that they should do something together, just the two of them. But still, Hailey begged it all off, just like she always had.

When Hailey woke up the morning of the seventeenth, it was in the same way she had fast come accustomed to over the last few months, warm and secure in Jay's arms. She could tell he was already awake. His fingers gently traced a nonsensical pattern from her belly button to the base of her sternum and back again. She reached down to still his hand and twisted in his hold. "Morning," she mumbled and tucked her head against his collarbone, burrowing deeper into his warmth. 

"Good morning," his voice was far too cheerful for not having had coffee yet. 

Hailey cracked one eye open and peered up at him. A large, goofy smile was spread across his freckled face. "What?" she asked, unable to keep the suspicion out of her voice.

Jay just gave her an innocent shrug. "Kiss me, I'm Irish?"

Hailey let out a soft laugh and moved to seal her lips over his. She wasn't surprised by Jay's behaviour. Because St. Patrick's Day wasn't just her birthday, it also just happened to be one of Jay's favourite days of the year. He always wore green, left little piles of gold chocolate coins on all their desks, and was in a perpetually good mood all day. He would insist on Irish food for lunch, though he absolutely refused to touch corned beef. If they all got drinks at the end of the night, he'd happily take a Guinness or a Smithwicks but declined all offers of green beer with a wrinkle of his nose. Hailey had gotten to see Jay's more carefree side over the years, even more since they started dating. But on St. Patrick's Day, it was something that everyone got to see, and she loved it. 

He even cooked to mark the occasion. During their first year as partners, it shocked her to no end when he invited her over to his place for dinner, and she arrived to find him stood over a large pot of Irish Stew. It was his mother's recipe, and it was delicious. That was the other reason she didn't mind how giddy March 17th seemed to make her normally calm, stoic partner; it was the only day he really talked about his mom. And the smile on his face when he did could power the Chicago Skyline for a year.

Moira Halstead had actually been from Ireland, born and raised in Galway on the country's beautiful west coast. When she was twenty, Moira came to Chicago. The band she sang in had been invited to play at one of the cities many Irish pubs. On one of those nights, Moira met twenty-three-year-old Pat Halstead and fell in love, and the rest was history. She never went back to Galway. But singing was something that Moira did for the rest of her life. To her sons while she rocked them to sleep at night. To her husband, when the stress of his job got to be too much. At church, especially during the Christmas season. And always in the kitchen as she cooked. Cooking was Moira's, other great love. She made sure her sons knew how to make their favourite meals long before they move out from under her roof.

Moria also had a passionate hatred for the ways leprechauns were portrayed in the States. 'Dopey little cherubs, forced into orange wigs and green tights,' she called them with a flick of her hair as she passed them in shop windows. Then she'd tell her boys the stories of the real leprechauns; wicked little tricksters like to perform devious, cruel pranks on unsuspecting humans. And above all, Moira shared her youngest son's disdain for corned beef. Hailey loved listening to the Halstead matriarch's stories, almost as much as Jay seemed to like telling them. At least on St. Patrick's Day.

Eventually, the couple had to drag themselves out of bed to get ready for work. Hailey laughed and swatted Jay's hands away when he reached to pinch her sides after she pulled a red plaid shirt from her closet. She switched it out for a green one as Jay pulled his own deep green henley over his head. In the kitchen, he readied their coffees while she started on breakfast, pouring a bit of Irish Cream coffee creamer into his drink and leaving her's black. On the island, a phone buzzed. "It's yours," Jay said and snuck a piece of bacon. 

"Can you check that for me?" Hailey asked and cracked a couple of eggs into the frying pan. She was expecting a message from Stella, the home of the suspect in the prostitution ring they were tracking had gone up in flames a few days before. The firefighter said she'd let Hailey know when the scene was cleared, and they could get in there to check it out. But that's not what the message was about.

"It's your birthday?" 

She froze halfway through buttering their English muffins. Her mom sent her traditional text early this year.

"'Hailey,'" Jay recited. "'One of the happiest days of my life was the day that you were born. Happy birthday, baby girl; I hope this year is the best one yet. All my love, Mom.'"

Hailey turned around slowly. She stared at the phone in Jay's hand like a deer did at a car in the middle of the night.

"Hailey," Jay took the spatula out of her hands, and she turned her wide eyes to his. "Is today really your birthday?"

"Yeah," she cleared her throat. "Yeah, it is."

"That's great," he exclaimed happily. When he was a kid, his mom had always explained that St. Patrick's Day was all about family and friends and letting the people who were important to you know that you were there. That's how the first parades started; the Irish immigrants wanted to show their countrymen that they weren't alone in this new, strange land that seemed determined to hate them. 

"Forget the stew," Jay grabbed his phone and pulled up the search engine. "Let's do something Greek instead."

"Jay," Hailey whispered, she didn't want that.

"I'll call Will, reschedule drinks," he continued like he hadn't heard her. Though given how softly she'd said his name, he probably didn't

"Jay," Hailey tried again, a little louder, a little sterner.

"And after we're done with work, the night is yours, whatever you want to do, we'll do. But I'm begging you please, no corned beef," he ploughed right through. "Hey, how does this sound, lamb kleftiko? Am I saying that, right? It would use up the leg I was going to use in the stew."

"Jay, please," she begged, finally getting his attention. "Make the stew, have Will over for drinks, do all the usual stuff, okay?"

"But it's your birthday," Jay baulked. "After, what five years, I finally know, we've got to celebrate somehow. How about Weber's Bakery? You like their cakes; we can pick one up after work and-"

"No," Hailey cut him off sharply.

It was his turn to look like a deer in headlights. "Hailey-"

"I said no," she interrupted him again. "Just stop, okay? You found out when my birthday is fine. But that does _not_ mean I suddenly want to celebrate."

She stormed out of the kitchen, their half-assembled breakfast sandwiches forgotten.

"It's St. Patrick's Day," she insisted and clipped her badge and gun onto her belt with more force than needed. "You _love_ St. Patrick's Day. So do what you do every year and forget you ever read that text message, okay? I gotta go; I forgot I need to meet with a CI before work."

She was out the door without another word, leaving Jay sitting in her kitchen completely confused. 

When he walked into the bullpen forty minutes later, Hailey hadn't arrived yet. So he set the coffee and apple fritter he'd gotten her as a peace offering on her desk and moved to his own. Pulling up a couple of the files on the case, Jay dug in as the other slowly filtered up the stairs. When Hailey arrive about twenty minutes after that, she took her seat without a word to him; the coffee and treat sat ignored.

Despite the fact the unit was in the middle of a case, it was a slow day. They were at a standstill until they could get into that house. So, Voight had them each digging through what they already had. In part to make sure their ducks were in a row but mostly to see if anything actionable shook loose. Days like this were usually filled with chatter and laughter, especially between Hailey and Jay. She would swipe pens from his desk, moving things out of their precise order as she went. He would retaliate by messing with her computer monitor, hitting the buttons at the side to screw with the brightness, the colour balance and the picture size. But today, there was none of that. They both kept to themselves and buried their noses in their work. 

The team clocked the tension right away. Kim's jaw dropped open when Hailey dug through her draws before turning to Adam to borrow a pen. Kevin shot Jay a look that read _'what the hell did you do,'_ when Hailey disappeared to the break room and returned with a cup of coffee for her alone. It was a well known unwritten rule between the two detectives that when one of them got a coffee, they always brought one for the other. And Adam, well, he largely remained oblivious to it all. Still, he did give the blonde a curious looked when Hailey gave in to his request to let him have the doughnut that had been sitting on her desk all morning, taunting him. Whatever was going on between the pair, none of them wanted to get involved; they just wanted it to end.

Jay raked his hands down his face in frustration. He had been reading a report from OCD Tech for nearly an hour, and his eyes were burning with strain. It didn't provide anything new anyway, just that their suspect's cellphone phone pinged from the location of the burnt-out house several times over the last month. Jay's stomach let out a rumble, and he looked at his watch, it was past noon, and he was hungry. Standing from his chair, he grabbed his jacket and walked over to Hailey's desk, just like he would on any other day. "I'm gonna go and get some lunch," he said in a hushed tone. "You wanna come?"

Hailey's fingers froze over her keyboard as she thought over his offer for a second. She'd felt the other's eyes on her all morning, as they noted the tension between the pair; if she stayed, they'd only give her more looks. Or worse, try and pump her for information. Besides, going with Jay would provide them with the chance to clear the air. Saving her document Hailey pulled her coat on and followed him down the stairs silently. They didn't exchange a word until they settled into Jay's truck. "So," he let out a breath. "What do you feel like?"

"It's St. Patrick's Day, Jay," she sighed. "You want to go to The Galway Arms for their beer-battered fish and chips and wrinkle your nose at me while I chow down on some corned beef," Hailey turned her head to look at him. "What do you have against the stuff anyway? Isn't it like quintessentially Irish?"

"It's really not, actually," Jay replied as he started the truck. "Plus, it's gross."

Hailey couldn't help herself, a laugh escaped her lips, and she shook her head at her boyfriend and his antics.

"Was that a laugh? A real laugh?" He teased with a smile. "I wasn't sure I'd be able to get you to do that at all today."

"Yeah, well," she shrugged. "What can I say? You and your hatred of salted meat is never not funny."

"Seriously though," he backed out of his parking space. "We could hit up Greek Islands, or Purple Pig, whatever you want."

"Jay," Hailey pinched at the bridge of her nose.

" _It's your birthday_ ," he insisted. "I get it; you don't want to celebrate, fine. We won't. But come on, letting you pick where we have lunch, that's pretty much the least I can do."

"I appreciate it, Jay, really," Hailey reached out to rest her hand on top of his on the centre console. "And thank you for not telling the rest of the team about it. But let's just go to The Galway Arms, okay? Please? Just forget about today being anything but St. Paddy's okay."

"You sure?" he gave her a look.

"I am," she smiled, squeezing his hand. 

Jay nodded and pointed the truck north in the direction of the pub.

They placed their order as they were walked back to their book; fish and chips for him, just like always, but Hailey changed it up and got the shepherd's pie instead. "This is pretty good," she said around a mouthful. "You want a bite?"

"Nah, I'm good," he dismissed as he dumped malt vinegar over his food. "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"What's the deal with you and your birthday?" he rushed to get out like if he didn't ask fast enough, he'd lose his nerve. "Why don't you want to celebrate it? Is it about getting older?"

"Come on," she rolled her eyes. 

"Then what?"

"I'm the child of an abusive alcoholic, and I was born on the one day of the year where it's not only socially acceptable to get as wasted as you can, it's pretty much encouraged," Hailey shrugged like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "You really think he missed out on that free pass just because it was my birthday?"

Jay groaned. "I'm an idiot."

"You're not," she reached across the table and threaded her fingers through his. "It's okay. Look, I get it for you; for most people, birthdays are full of happy memories. For me, I usually spent the day hiding under my bed, trying to block out the sounds of whatever was going on downstairs."

"I'm sorry."

"It is what it is," she dismissed with a wave of her fork. "I made my peace with it a long time ago. But…"

"That peace doesn't mean you want to celebrate either," he finished.

"Exactly," she nodded. "I'm happy with what today is to you and how you are. It's enough, okay?"

"Okay," Jay agreed, and they returned to their meals. The air that had been crackling between them all day was finally clear.

They were just about done when her phone chimed from her pocket. "It's Stella," Hailey straightened up, her mind switching back to work mode at once. "OFI's finally released the scene. Drop me off at 51 on the way back to the district?"

"Copy that," he shoved a few more fries into his mouth as he signalled to their server for their check.

*

Hailey walked into her apartment hours later, tired and the faint scent of smoke clinging to her clothes. As soon as she closed the door, a warm, savoury smell filled her nose and made her mouth water.

"Hey, Hailey," Jay called from the kitchen. "You wanna come and taste this for me? The stew needs something; I'm just not sure what."

She walked over to where he was standing, at her stove, stirring a pot; she smiled at the sight. There was just something about a person who knew their way around a kitchen that was so damn attractive. He held a spoon full of stew up for her to try, and she let the flavours dance over her tongue. "That is so good, Jay."

"Need anything?"

"Hmmm," she thought for a second. "A little pepper, maybe?"

"Pepper it is," he reached around her and grabbed the pepper mill, cranking it a few times over the bubbling brew.

"What time's Will getting here?" she asked as he stirred the spice through. 

"Yeah, slight change of plans there," Jay started. "Another ED doc called in sick or drunk, so Will volunteered to cover the shift."

"Alright," she nodded and grabbed two bowls from the cupboard. "More stew for us then."

"Don't get too ahead of yourself," he cautioned. "I did tell my brother we'd save him some."

"Oh no promises there, Halstead, you know how much I like to eat," Hailey winked and ladled them both a generous portion while Jay grabbed a couple of beers from the fridge.

They sat at the island to eat and chatted about the day, how the fire scene was; crispy. How the rest of the paperwork went; slowly. And where they thought the case was going; cold. Before switching to happier topics, like the drawings that Makayla had given them all when she visited after school that day. The little girl left Hailey's on her keyboard; she saw it when she stopped off at the district before heading home for the night. When they finished their meal, Hailey gathered their bowls and put them in the dishwasher while Jay took their drinks into the living room. When she turned back around, a small box was sat on the countertop, wrapped in shiny green paper and a white bow. "Before you say anything," Jay broke in from the other side of the island. "This is a St. Patrick's Day present, not a birthday present."

"Nice try," she countered. "But there's no such thing as St. Patrick's Day presents."

"Humour me, alright?" He slid the present across the countertop. "I was gonna give it to you in a few weeks anyway."

Hailey gave him a look but picked up the box and peeled back the wrapping paper. It was a box, a velvety black one. Her head snapped up.

"This is not a proposal," he promised and reached out to open the lid. Hailey looked down and saw a beautiful ring resting in the silk folds. Its silver knotted band that morphed into little hands as they came to the centre, a crowned heart made up of a dark green stone rested between them. It wasn't a precious stone, something shiny that would draw peoples attention, something not her. It was opaque and had a rough texture underneath it's smoothed surface, some kind of marble, maybe. It was beautiful. 

"It's a Claddagh ring," Jay explained and took it out of the box. "If you were it this way," he slipped it onto her right ring finger, the point of the heart pointing down to her fingertip. "It means your single, that your heart is open to love."

"And if you wear it like this," Jay took it off and slipped it back on the same finger, this time the heart facing towards her knuckle. "It means you're in a relationship, that someone already holds your heart in their hands like you hold theirs."

He brushed his thumb over the stone and dropped his hand back to the countertop along with his eyes. "They're supposed to represent loyalty, friendship and love," he continued as his finger traced a pattern on the granite. "I can't think of three words that sum us up better."

Hailey looked at the ring, to Jay and back again; he wasn't wrong. "What if it's worn on the left hand?" She smirked up at him.

"I'll tell you when the time comes," he leaned across the table and pressed a gentle kiss to her dimpled cheek.

"You tryin' to tell me you love me, Jay Halstead?" 

"You know I do," he replied. 

"I do," she smiled. "Thank you."

"Does that mean you like it?"

"I love it," Hailey pulled him back across the island for a real kiss. "And I love you."

"Happy St. Patrick's Day, Hailey," Jay beamed and brushed his nose across hers softly. "And I promise this is the only time I'll say it; Happy Birthday."

She smiled at him and made her way around the island, grabbing his hand and tugging him behind her as she went.

"You planning something, Upton?" he teased.

"Let's just say I figured out a way I'm willing to celebrate my birthday," Hailey dropped his hand and turned to walk backwards on the short path to her bedroom. The new ring on her finger drew his eyes as she twisted open the buttons of her shirt.

He quirked an eyebrow at her and thought back to what he'd said to her that morning. "Kiss me, I'm Irish?"

"Oh, we can do better than just a kiss," Hailey tossed a wink over her shoulder as she spun back around and crossed the threshold of her room.

Jay watched as she walked away, her hips swaying, leaving him hypnotized. It wasn't until her shirt sailed back out the door and landed at his feet that Jay snapped out of his daze. Pulling off his own shirt, he hurried into the bedroom after her. Happy St. Patrick's Day indeed.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! I don't know why, but when I first asked myself, 'when was Hailey's birthday?' St. Patrick's Day was the first thing that popped into my head. So March 17th, 1990, it is. Yay, headcanons! Do any of you guys have your own ideas about when she was born? If you're curious at all about what the ring looks like, hit up my tumblr, agent-bash, there a mood board posted and it's the upper right image.


End file.
